It’s amazing what competition does to you! In a bid to woo former passengers who are now flying on cheap tickets, the railways today has been forced to bring down prices of its upper classes and even offer upgrades to higher classes! But then, lowering of fares alone would not do the trick. The railways need to do much more to woo this class which has now abandoned the railways.

First and foremost, the railways have to ensure that the coaches and the toilets are absolutely clean and that the passengers, particularly the elderly, are treated with due respect. In fact there is need for the railways to train their field staff, particularly the Travelling Ticket Examiners on public relations. “Service with a smile” should be their motto.

Another area where railways have to compete fiercely with airlines is in the area of baggage safety. Unlike on airlines, where one need not clutch their baggage lest someone snatch it away from them, on board the Indian railways one has to constantly worry about personal belongings. The railways, therefore, have to come up with a system of baggage check-in where in passengers’ baggage can be stored safely in a locker compartment and can be retrieved at the end of the journey.

Passenger safety should get utmost importance ? besides better maintenance of tracks, signals and coaches, better safety features in engines and compartments, the railways should also ensure that the vestibules are checked before each journey to ensure that they do not become death traps.

Who can forget the tragic case of 21-year-old Kabita Hansaria, who fell onto the tracks and died while travelling from Delhi to Guwahati on Tinsukia mail, only because the vestibule did not have the side grills to prevent such a fall? Or that of Sarika Hora or Devi Chand, who died in similar circumstances?

Even in this age of fast bullet trains, the Indian railway coaches chug along at pathetically slow speed that make railway journeys unattractive even on short trips. The railways therefore need to pay attention to the speed of the trains and also modernise railway stations with better amenities, including shopping malls that not only fetch the railways good revenue, but also give the railway stations a more cheerful fa?ade.

In short, the railways have to make train journeys not just safe, but also attractive and pleasant, and actually show that they care for their passengers. And of course, the biggest public sector undertaking has to demonstrate that finally it is moving with the times.